| Music legend Stevie Wonder was described as an "inspiration" earlier this month as city leaders agreed to award the music legend the Freedom of Newcastle. But as two city MPs pointed out yesterday on International Women's Day, only a handful of women have ever been granted Newcastle's top honorary civic status since it was first awarded in 1642. Now Catherine McKinnell and Chi Onwurah have demanded action to recognise more "woefully underrepresented" women with the city's highest honour. The first female recipients were honoured in 1966 and there have been only 10 in total recognised for their contribution to life on Tyneside, not including several babies born on the first day of the new millennium who were also given the honour. Since the year 2000, only four women have been recognised – but 20 men have been honoured by Newcastle City Council in that time, on top of dozens more in the preceding centuries, writes Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland. One of the women chosen was former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but her award was subsequently revoked in 2018. That leaves charity champion Joan Silcox, training and employment leader Olivia Grant, and former Bishop of Newcastle Christine Hardman as the only three females added to the list of city luminaries in the 21st century. Ms Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central, said it was "really important we recognise the work of women across every sector who make Newcastle the city it is". 
'Haunted' pub must be rebuilt after illegal demolition 
A remarkable legal saga concluded in Lancashire yesterday after a historic listed Ribble Valley pub (pictured above) was demolished without permission – when its owners gave up waiting for a decision from the local council. Ribble Valley Borough Council took action after the Punch Bowl Inn in Hurst Green - built in the 1720s and said to be haunted by the ghost of highwayman Ned King - was demolished in 2021. As Local Democracy Reporter Robbie Macdonald writes, the companies involved were Donelan Trading Ltd, which owned the demolished pub, and Percliff Ltd, a contractor. Andrew Donelan, 61, Nicola Donelan, 59; Rebecca Donelan, 29, all of Carr Hall, Wilpshire, David John Cotterell, 58, of Percliff Way, Blackburn, and Brian Ingleby, 70, of Hollowhead Avenue, Blackburn, appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court yesterday and were ordered to pay fines and costs after being found guilty at trial. In a separate planning process, an order has been made that the pub must also be rebuilt and restored inside and out by those responsible for its illegal destruction. The original building materials from the rubble must be used or other materials judged suitable by Ribble Valley Council. David Lawson, defending, told the court the accused were worried the building had become unsafe over time. He said they believed its state had got worse over the years and it was broken into and targeted by arsonists. He said the defendants alleged Ribble Valley Council had not acted properly or fast enough. But Killian Garvey, representing Ribble Valley Council, said borough planning staff had communicated professionally with the group and made efforts to engage. But the group ignored various warnings, including from Historic England, and demolished the pub without permission.
On the other side of the Pennines, a decision by a national park authority to permit building firm Tarmac to continue a controversial quarrying operation has been quashed at the High Court. As Local Democracy Reporter Stuart Minting writes, it comes after a resident challenged whether the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority had correctly followed processes to ensure its primary duty to protect the unique landscapes. Mrs Justice Lang ordered the authority to pay Katharine Smith the costs of her legal action over the decision of its planning committee in 2021 to grant planning permission to Tarmac to extract 4.4 million tonnes of gritstone from Dry Rigg Quarry, near Horton-in-Ribblesdale until 2035. Ms Smith, who lives near the quarry, said continuing operations there were in direct conflict with the national park's first purpose and would leave a permanent visual impact on the area.
Dozens of care homes in North rated inadequate  Pic from Getty Images
Some 360,000 people live in care homes around the country, with the majority rated good or outstanding. But as data journalist Richard Ault reports for The Northern Agenda (including this interactive map) there are still dozens rated inadequate. A total of 52 care homes in the North were rated "inadequate" at their last inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - with some residents so bored their wellbeing suffered and others living in a home where "staff failed to identify poor care and abuse". That includes 26 in the North West, 24 in Yorkshire and the Humber, and just two in the North East. Twelve of the failing care homes were in West Yorkshire, more than any other Northern area, while there were 11 in Merseyside, eight in Lancashire, and seven in Greater Manchester. At one, Rushes House Care Home in Marple, Greater Manchester, inspectors heard "allegations that people had been subject to institutional abuse". That included "visiting and other restrictions, lack of choice, inappropriate use of control and verbal abuse". The CQC report last November, noted that "several investigations relating to abuse and poor care" were being carried out by local authority safeguarding teams. At Hulton House in Preston, inspectors found the lack of activities had a "detrimental effect on people's wellbeing"; while at Claremont in Goole, East Yorkshire, "people did not live safely and free from unwarranted restrictions" and "staff failed to identify poor care and abuse".
Mould scandal exposé earns top industry award  The Manchester Evening News' coverage of Awaab Ishak's death.
It was a shocking story that horrified the nation and - a few months later - led to government Ministers promising to change the law. And the exposé of the shocking conditions that led to the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak by Stephen Topping of the Manchester Evening News were last night praised as the best in regional journalism by industry judges. Stephen's weeks of reporting from Rochdale into the conditions faced by social housing tenants won the 'scoop of the year' award at the Regional Press Awards in London. Elsewhere, the M.E.N.'s Beth Abbit (who writes the brilliant Mancunian Way newsletter) was named feature writer of the year for shining a light on 'lesser told stories' and the Liverpool Echo was named News Brand of the Year (Large). The Newcastle Chronicle's splash marking Newcastle United's takeover was named front page of the year and the Liverpool Echo's Liam Thorp was highly commended in the 'specialist journalist' category. Other winners included the Warrington Guardian for supplement of the year and The Yorkshire Post's James Hardisty, who was named photographer of the year.
Are storm clouds over Liverpool council finally lifting? 
It's been a rough two years for Liverpool City Council, with the devastating Caller Report into its governance failings resulting in a team of government commissioners being called into the Labour-run authority in 2021. In a submission to the Levelling Up Department back in August, leader commissioner Mike Cunningham tore into the council's performance, saying it had not adopted the "sufficient pace, urgency or grip." But their latest report, released last night, said there had been determination to improve "at pace" from the council leadership and if it can "maintain the focus, energy and commitment" shown of late, they have confidence "required progress will be made." The 25-page report, submitted to Secretary of State Michael Gove, said while there "remains much to be done to meet the challenges of the next 18 months" credible options had been developed at pace to meet its significant budget gap, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Humphreys. Like minister Lee Rowley, the commissioners said the next six months ahead for the city represented a "period of profound change for the council" and while a period of "great opportunity" also carried risk. They said: "The all-out elections in May and the new model of governance will change the political leadership, alongside the officer leadership changes in the next few months. These changes cannot be allowed to interrupt the momentum that has been developed in recent months." 
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Northern Stories  The 4001 metro as it stands today
- A North East railway museum has been gifted a piece of iconic transport history from Metro operator Nexus. The Stephenson Steam Railway Museum in North Shields is soon to be the new home for the 4001 Metro car. This was the first Metro prototype. The 4001 was also the first Metro to travel to South Hylton after the opening of the Sunderland line in April 2002. North Tyneside councillors were informed however, the museum is unable to run the historic Metro as the site is not equipped with suitable tracks.
- Teesside International Airport will be the UK's first to entirely scrap the 100ml limit on liquids when passing through airport security. The move is part of a pilot scheme ahead of the government's deadline of June 2024 for airports to install new security technology in order to cope with the change. High-tech scanners, known as C3 scanners, are needed in order to ensure liquids can be properly screened inside of travellers' bags. At Teesside, two C3 scanners have been installed and they allow passengers to travel through with a two litre liquid limit in their hand luggage.
- A biennial open art prize which celebrates talent bred and nurtured in the North is now open. The New Light Art Prize judging process will run from May until July where some of the UK's best art experts will choose who will be shortlisted. Prize winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on September 29 at The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum in Birkenhead, where their artwork will feature in a launch exhibition before going on tour around the country. Rebekah Tadd, Development Director at New Light, said: "Our aim is to support Northern artists; whether that's artists who grew up in the North, studied or currently live in the North – it is an area that breeds so much talent."
- A new £2.5m science and technology centre for children and families will be created in the heart of Scunthorpe. North Lincolnshire Council has announced that £2.5m of government Towns Fund cash will fund the project. Repairs to the walls, roof and exterior of St John's Church by the council's headquarters at Church Square House will make the whole building accessible and connected to the square. The consequent larger space for events and activities will allow for the creation of Discover@20-21, a new, specialist interactive science and technology centre aimed at children and families. This will add to the existing award-winning arts and heritage exhibitions held at the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre already there.
- Plans for a '21st century library' in Stockport look set to be scaled back after the flagship £14.5m project was hit by soaring inflation costs. The new 'learning and discovery centre' – provisionally dubbed 'Stockroom' – is to be based at Merseyway shopping centre, and also includes a sensory room, performance space and a cafe. Bankrolled by the government's Future High Streets Fund, the scheme was signed off last summer. But a council report says the construction industry had been hit by 'significant inflation' since the cash was awarded and Stockroom 'has not been immune to these financial challenges'.
- A fishmonger in West Kirby said he's lost about £80,000 since the construction of a controversial sea wall. The West Kirby sea wall began being built in April 2022 after years of planning and will stretch for 1.15km along South Parade next to the town's marine lake once it's complete. Wirral Council said the sea wall will protect 70 properties near the coast from sea level rises and storm damage and is estimated to save more than 20 lives. But multiple businesses have reported a drop in footfall in the town as 200 car parking spaces were taken up by the construction.
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